Weather Alert Day for strong storms possible into the evening
TUESDAY: Increasing clouds are holding temperatures a few degrees warmer than yesterday, but afternoon highs will still climb into the upper 70s and lower 80s. This will be our tenth consecutive day of seeing temperatures well above seasonal norms for the fall months. Through the day expect winds out of the southeast up to 20 mph, with gusts up to 25. While most of the afternoon will be dry, we’ll begin to see some scattered showers and storms develop during the late afternoon hours. These storms could become severe with the main threat being damaging winds. However, an isolated tornado can’t be ruled out, mainly in northwestern parts of Mid-Missouri. This is why we have issued a Weather Alert Day for this afternoon and tonight. The best chance of late afternoon and early evening storms is west of HWY 63 before another line arrives later in the evening.
TONIGHT: Near 7 PM a line of storms will track into our western counties pulling to the east through the evening and the night. You can expect heavy downpours, frequent lightning embedded in these storms as well as gusty winds. With a bowing segment, some storms could turn severe with winds in excess of 58 mph. With enough wind shear in the atmosphere isolated tornadoes aren’t out of the question, with a lower risk of large hail. With heavy downpours, localized flooding is possible, especially in low lying areas. As the storms track east through the night they will weaken, but not before bringing .50″ to an inch of rain to parts of Mid-Missouri. Higher totals will be west of Hwy 63, where the storms will be at their strongest.
EXTENDED: After the overnight storms roll through Tuesday, on going showers are possible into early Wednesday with highs in the 60s. We’ll see temperatures fall through the day Wednesday as the cold front tracks into the region. Fall makes it’s return with high temperatures in the 50s by the end of the week and lows dipping into the upper 30s to lower 40s. More rain is possible as we head into the close of the week, as two systems will track into the region. System number one will arrive Friday afternoon and will arrive as an upper level disturbance from Colorado. This will not only bring light to moderate rain showers Friday, but will also keep temperatures a bit on the cooler side. System number 2 looks to arrive Saturday into Sunday. This comes as the remnants of Hurricane Sergio track inland with impacts felt across the Plains and into the Midwest. Highs this weekend will be slightly warmer, as hurricanes are warm core systems and will bring a brief rise in temperatures in the upper 50s. Keep up to date with the latest forecast on-air and online with ABC 17 News.